What Were They Thinking?

I am on the road a great deal and find that I have more of an opportunity to play poker while traveling than when I am at home in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, when I am at home I am so busy trying to catch up from the last trip and prepare for the next one that I seldom get to a cardroom anymore. Of course, that is my loss, as there are so many outstanding cardrooms in Las Vegas. That being said, I have found some amazing cardrooms during my travels, and have sometimes been shocked by some of the plays I've seen there. Of course, due to the huge growth of tournament poker recently, you can see some plays that will surely amaze and amuse you. Here are a few I not only saw, but fell victim to recently while playing in a tournament in Seattle, Washington, while visiting my hometown for a high school reunion.

We were playing in a $45 buy-in, $20 rebuy, no-limit hold'em tourney. I had struggled all day with no cards but enough chips to hang on. In fact, I was in for only the original buy-in and the add-on. The event paid 10 spots and I was still there with 11 players remaining. I hadn't had a hand to play in ages, and we played hand-for-hand for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the bubble broke and we went to the final table. I was short-stacked with only 15 chips, playing with a five- and 10-chip blind. Also, I was only two spots from the big blind! The good news was that the big blind had fewer chips than I, and was all in on the first hand for less than the complete bet. Here is where it got very weird. Everyone folded to the player two seats in front of the button. He raised, and the rest of the field, including the small blind, folded. The big blind was all in for eight chips, so the raiser got a refund. The players' cards were flipped up, and I was totally amazed to see that the raiser held the 5 2.

What was he thinking? I tried to figure out why he would raise in that spot with only a 5-high hand. He couldn't beat a 6 high! He couldn't bluff the big blind out of his last chips, as he was already all in. The big blind had to play that hand (unless even the small blind gave him a walk), so what was the point of raising in this situation with no hand? Needless to say, the big blind won with his random hand, which happened to be queen high. What was the raiser thinking? Think about your plays before you make them. What was the raiser hoping to accomplish here? With players yet to act behind him and a player already all in, why raise with no hand at all? He could beat only a … well, nothing! So, why jeopardize his chips and protect an all-in player at the final table?

The button then moved and I was under the gun with my 15 chips! I looked down and saw K-6 suited. In retrospect, I should have moved all in, but I didn't, preferring to pay the blind and hope for a better hand. As it turned out, everyone folded to the blinds, and the small blind, who had started with eight chips the previous hand, gave the big blind a walk. Now it was my big blind and I posted 10 chips, still holding on to five but knowing that I would have to put them in with any two cards if the pot was raised, due to the number of chips already in the pot and the insurmountable odds against ever regaining a stack with only five chips left.

Here is where we returned to the twilight zone. Everyone passed to the small blind, and he raised me! OK, cool, I thought, he has a hand, but I have to play and hope for a miracle. I didn't even look at my cards and called all in. He flipped up J-5 offsuit and I revealed J-3 offsuit. I was shocked. Why would he raise there? He had nothing, and should have known that I had to call. Well, someone at the table asked him why he raised with nothing, and he replied, "I thought I could get her to lay it down."

Again, pay attention. How could I possibly lay this or any hand down in the spot I was in? Anyway, not that it matters, the flop came Q-10-2, and an 8 came on the turn. Going to the river, I would lose only if a 4 or 5 came, as any other card would be a split, and a 3 would nail it for me. Up jumped a 5, and I went to the Puyallup State Fair for the afternoon.

For what it's worth, at the fair – in addition to enjoying the rides, scones, elephants' ears, buffalo burgers, and corn on the cob – I saw the biggest steer I have ever seen. He weighed 3,270 pounds! Now, ya don't see that in a cardroom! Class dismissed.

Please contact me with any poker-related questions or comments. I will get right back to you.